Enrollment
458
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Liberty, SC
Liberty Middle
Federal NCES profile for Liberty Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 450333001385
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Liberty Middle earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Liberty · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.1:1
- students per teacher
- 79.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Liberty Middle has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Liberty Middle ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Liberty, SC.
School address
District: Pickens 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450333001385 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
79.9%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Liberty Middle compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Liberty Middle
Liberty Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Liberty, South Carolina, enrolling 458 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 79.9% lands close to the South Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 458 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 76 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #44.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 229 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Pickens 01 spends $10,622 per pupil, 27% below the South Carolina average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Discipline events run high: 141 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 458 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Pickens 01 also operates Easley High (1,862 students) and Pickens High (1,226 students) alongside Liberty Middle.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Liberty Middle compares
Liberty Middle on the metrics families compare, against South Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs South Carolina | South Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.1:1 | ▼ 8% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 79.9% | ▲ 8% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 458 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.1:1
Leaner classes than 66% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
458
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
79.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% above the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.1:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 36% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
43.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,622
per pupil, district-wide
- below South Carolina avg of $14,558
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 229 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
79
in-school suspensions + 62 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 30.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 81.0%
Hispanic or Latino 9.8%
Two or More 5.5%
African American 3.3%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 81.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.0, Liberty Middle is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pickens 01, which includes Liberty Middle.
$10,622
Per student
-27%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.4%
State 47.7%
Federal 14.9%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Liberty Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easley High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pickens High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| D. W. Daniel High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Richard H. Gettys Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| R. C. Edwards Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Liberty Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,862
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,226
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,222
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,217
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 835
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of South Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~458 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Liberty Middle's federal record.
- Compare Liberty Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Pickens 01's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Liberty Middle
How many students attend Liberty Middle?
Liberty Middle has 458 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Liberty, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Liberty Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Liberty Middle is 13.1:1, which is 8% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Liberty Middle?
79.9% of students at Liberty Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Liberty Middle?
The largest demographic group at Liberty Middle is White at 81.0% of enrollment, in Liberty, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Liberty Middle?
Liberty Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Liberty Middle rank among public schools in Liberty?
By Resource Investment Index, Liberty Middle ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Liberty, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Liberty on the city page.
Is Liberty Middle a good school?
Liberty Middle earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Pickens 01?
Besides Liberty Middle, Pickens 01 also operates Easley High (1,862 students), Pickens High (1,226 students), and D. W. Daniel High (1,222 students). See the Pickens 01 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.